Viktor Hovland Withdraws After Two Holes During Final Round Of Travelers Championship Due To Neck Injury

The seven-time PGA Tour winner played two holes of his final round before withdrawing with a neck injury

Viktor Hovland takes a shot at the Travelers Championship
A neck injury has forced Viktor Hovland's withdrawal
(Image credit: Getty Images)
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The Travelers Championship has been badly affected by withdrawals both before and during the tournament, and now another high-profile player has been forced to end his challenge early.

Viktor Hovland was at six under after the opening three rounds at TPC River Highlands, with his bogey-free seven under 63 on Saturday the best of the lot.

However, any hopes he had of following up his placing of third at last week’s US Open with a similarly strong finish in the last of the PGA Tour’s Signature Events were dashed after just two holes of his final round.

The Norwegian began with a par, followed by a bogey on the second hole before deciding enough was enough, with a neck injury the culprit.

In truth, ahead of the final round, it was always an outside chance that Hovland would pick up his eighth PGA Tour win, as he began the day 10 shots behind leader Tommy Fleetwood.

However, he will be disappointed he was unable to build on a solid opening 54 holes that offered the latest suggestion that he is returning to his best after a difficult 2024.

As well as Hovland’s encouraging display at the Oakmont Major a week ago, he also won the Valspar Championship in March, but now his focus will surely turn to ensuring he has recovered sufficiently to challenge for his maiden Major title at next month’s Open.

Earlier in the day, it was revealed that Eric Cole had also withdrawn, albeit before the final round, due to illness, while four-time PGA Tour winner Si Woo Kim only made it as far as the 12th hole of the second round before withdrawing with a back injury.

Another player who fell victim to a back injury was Jordan Speith, who called a halt to proceedings after his tee shot on the 13th of his opening round.

Jordan Spieth at the Travelers Championship

Jordan Spieth didn't complete his first round before sustaining a back injury

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Before that, two players who had been in the original field, Corey Conners and Brian Campbell, also withdrew before the tournament began. Conners couldn’t play in the event due to a wrist injury sustained at the US Open, while Campbell suffered a shoulder injury before the Connecticut tournament. Conners was replaced in the field by Jhonattan Vegas, while Davis Riley took Campbell’s place.

The upshot of Hovland’s withdrawal is that, as things stand, just 68 players will finish the tournament, when 72 had been in the original line-up.

Mike Hall
Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

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